Needle bar assembly and method of knitting



Feb. 18, 1958 F. G. wElsBEcKER 2,823,528

NEEDLE BAR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF KNITTING Filed Dec. 5, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS Feb. 18, 1958 F. G. wl-:lsBl-:CKER V2,823,528

NEEDLE BAE ASSEMBLY AND METHOD 0E KNITTING Filed Dec. 5, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fie.

INVENT OR Frank @.Wesbe cker I WMM/PM ATTORNEYS United States Patent O NEEDLE BAR ASSEMBLY AND METHOD OF KNITTING Frank G. Weisbecker, Lansdale, Pa.; Mary Weisbeclrer, executrix of said Frank G. Weisbecker, deceased Application December 5, 1956, Serial No. 626,431

7 claims. (ci. ets-5) This invention relates to automatic knitting machines, and more particularly to a new and improved needle bar assembly for automatic knitting machines ofthe flatbed, full fashion type.

Conventional flatbed full fashion machines utilize a unitary needle bar to which the individual needles are rigidly aixed. In circular knitting machines, independent needle mounting is conventional, but the principles of independent needle mounting have not heretofore been applied to the full fashionmachine. Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a novel needle bar assembly for full fashion machines in which the needles are mounted for movement independently of one another.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fullV fashion machine with a needle bar assembly Vwhich is readily convertible from independent to unitary needle motion.

Other objects will be apparent as the description proceeds and complete understanding of the present invention may be had from a consideration of the following specification, taken in conjunction with the attached sheets of drawing in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, the section being at a point intermediate opposite ends of one needle bank of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the needles used in the machine of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rear portion of the needle bar assembly.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of another portion of the needle bar assembly, showing the needles in operative position with respect thereto.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a stabilizing guide mem- -berfor the needles.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but shows the needles in their fully lowered position, while in Fig. l, the needle bar assembly is shown in its fully raised position.

Fig. 7 is a sectional View along the lines 7-7 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic View showing a shogging means for the horizontally movable portion of the needle bar assembly. A Referring now to the drawings for a complete disclosure of the present invention, the rear portion of the needle bar assembly which is grooved to slidably receive each needle is shown in perspective in Fig. 3 and identilied by the reference numeral 10. The grooved face of this member is stepped as shown in order that the other portions of the needle bar assembly which cooperate with the member 10 may have free movement as the needles are driven through the conventional knitting motions. Suffice to say, there are a series of slots or grooves 11 in the outer face of the member10, each of which Aslidingly receives a needle of the type shown in Fig. 2.

Referring now to Fig. 2, the needle 12 is asubstantially conventional spring beard type, except for the fact that the shank is considerably longer than usual, and includes a projection or abutment 13, which extends at right angles to the shank on the side opposite the beard. The projections 13 cooperate with other portions of the assembly to be hereinafter described which provide the necessary up and down movement of the needles.

The front portion of the needle bar assembly includes a bed or plate member 15 upon which are mounted in horizontal grooves of rectangular cross section in the rearward face thereof, a pair of spaced parallel horizontal bars 16 and 17. These bars are coextensive in length with the needle bed. The upper bar is solid and rectangular in cross section throughout its length. The lower bar, on the other hand, has a series of slots or grooves 18 in its rearward edge, as appears most clearly in Fig. 7.

Referring now to Fig. 7, that portion 10 of the needle bar assembly which is shown in perspective in Fig. 3 appears in section in Fig. 7. The grooves 11 in this member, therefore, are equal in number to the number of needles employed in each section of the machine. The grooves 18 in the lower horizontal bar 17, however, are fewer in number, and for illustrative purposes, will be shown and described herein as being so spaced andproportioned that there is one groove for every other needle.

Fig. 7 shows clearly that these grooves in the lower bar member may be aligned with either odd or even numbered needles, depending on the position of the bar member 17 with respect to the member 10. The bar 17 is supported on the bed or plate member 15 for horizontal reciprocating movement with respect thereto. As shown in Fig. 1, the bar is received within a groove in the member 15, and referring to Fig. 7, it will be seen that it is linked to this member by a series of bolts 19 which extend through the bed 15 to threadedly engage the bar 17 and which are spring biased as at 19A in such a way as to retain the bar member in engagement with the base of the groove. Each bolt extends through a slot in the member 15, rather than a circular hole in order that the bar may move horizontally with respect to the bed. Still referring to Fig. 7, it will be seen that there are mating cam surfaces 20 and 21 on the bar 17 and the bed 15. The bar member 17, by reason of these mating cam surfaces, has a limited degree of free movement with respect to the bed member before the cam surfaces engage one another to move the bar in a direction outwardly of the bed member. The amount of horizontal movement which is permitted without engagement of the cam surfaces is such that the grooves 18 in the bar may be shogged a distance equal to the spacingbetween adjacent needles.

With the structure as thus far described, and referring particularly to Figs. l, 6 and 7, it will be apparent that whenever the front bed or plate member 15 is moved in a downward direction, all of theknitting needles will be lowered by reason of the fact that the solid upper bar 16 overlies the abutments 13 of each needle. When the same front half of the needle bar assembly begins to rise, however, only one-half of the needles will be raised along with it. This will be obvious from a consideration of Fig. 7. The lower bar member 17 is always so positioned that its grooves surround the abutments of alternate needles. By means of a shogging mechanism to be hereinafter described, the bar is reciprocated on each course, so that on every other course, alternate needles remain in the fully lowered position, while the remaining needles are raised to the fully raised position, in view of the fact that the abutments of half of the needles will overlie the nngrooved portions of the bar member 17.

The plate 15A shown in Fig. 5 includes a sexies of notches along one edge equal in number to the number of needles. This plate is bolted to the upper surface of as shown in Figs. l and 6, to provide a guide for the needles as they are raised and lowered.

Fig. 4 is illustrative of a point in the knittingrcycle in which half of the needles are fully raised and half are fully lowered. This corresponds to the fully raised position of the member 15 shown in Fig. l.

From an examination of Figs. l and 6 lof the drawings, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there has been no substantial change made in the needle bar actuating mechanism. In each complete cycle for a given needle, that needle describes the same path of travel as is the case in a conventional knitting machine. The principal difference between the conventional machine and the present one is, of course, that the needles are mounted for movement independent of one another and it takes two courses rather than one for each needle to complete a knitting cycle. The slotted portion of the needle bar assembly in which the `individual needles are slidably mounted is hinged by the pin 21 which rides in the straight slot 22 in the member 23, which is rigidly attached to the slotted member 10 of the needle bar assembly. Note further that the member 23 is yalso pivoted at the pin 24 which rides in a curved slot 25 in the member 26 which is rigidly aixed to the center bed 27.

The front half of the needle bar assembly which includes the members 15, 16 and 17 is pinned to the arm 2S, which those skilled in the art will readily recognize as being the arm which produces up and down movement of the needle bar. The arm 29 which depends vertically from the front half of the needle bar assembly is the one which produces in and out motion of the needle bar. It will be apparent, therefore, from a consideration of the two pinned and slotted connections, that the rear portion of the needle bar assembly, which receives the needles, is limited to an in and out movement; that is to say, this member rocks about the pin 24 as a center, in response to movements of the arm 29. The slot 25, which is slightly curved, permits this rocking movement. The front portion of the needle bar assembly has both up and down and in and out movement, since it must not only move the needles up and down, but must also follow the rocking movement of the rear portion. The two halves of the needle bar assembly are urged into engagement with each other by means of a spring member 30 shown in Figs. l and 6.

.From the foregoing description, it will be seen that if both the horizontal bar members 16 and 17 were solid throughout their length, that the knitting would proceed on this machine in a manner identical to that of a conventional flatbed, full fashion machine. The fact that the lower horizontal bar 17 is slotted, however, gives rise to a different knitting and a different stitch. If the number of slots 18 in the lower horizontal bar 17 is equal to one-half the number of needles in each section of the machine, and if this bar is shogged laterally on every course in opposite direction, a distance equal to the distance between adjacent needles, only half of the needles will be .raised during the latter portion of each knitting cycle. This will produce a stitch known in the art as an interlock stitch.

Referring again to Figs. l and 6 of the drawings, it Awill be seen that the member 23 includes a longitudinal groove 31 which slidably receives a beam 32. The beam is oatedon a plurality of'springs 33 which urge it outwardly of the groove. its outward movement is adjustably limited by any convenient means such as the stop mem- -ber 34 which is adjustable vertically with respect to the member 23. The beam 32 provides a resilient abutment for the needles as they are driven downwardly by the knitting motion. Those needles which remain lowered on one cycle, therefore, rest upon the beam until they are raised on the next cycle.

Referring now to Fig. 8 of the attached drawings, there is shown in somewhat diagrammatic form, one possible means for effecting the shogging of the slotted lower bar member 17. The bar is biased to the right by means of a spring 35, so that it may be moved to the left against the force of this spring, and when the moving member is withdrawn, the bar will be returned to its original position. A shaft mounted for reciprocatory movement longitudinally of the machine bedvis indicated at 36 in the drawing. Rigidly mounted on this shaft is a projection 37 which engages a button-like extension 38 attached to the end of the slotted bar member 17 at the 'end remote from the biasing spring. It will be apparent,vtherefore, that if the shaft 36 is moved to the left, the bar 17 will move to the left, and when theV `shaft ismoved to the right, the spring will return the slotted bar member to its starting position. At the right hand side of this gure, there is shown a simple ratchet and pawl arrangement 40 and 41. The ratchet 40 is suitably journaled to a fixed portion of the machine bed and the pawl 41 may be driven in any desired fashion from some rotary portion ofthe knitting machine proper. A spring pressed detent 42 is mounted above the ratchet and serves to engage a portion of the ratchet wheel to prevent counter rotation thereof. The left hand radial face of the ratchet assembly includes a series of cam-like projections 43 which, as the ratchet assembly is rotated, tend to move the shaft 36 to the left by an amount equal to the thickness of the cam surface. It will be readily appreciated that the number of these cam members 43, together with the rate of rotation of the ratchet assembly, will combine to produce the desired movement of the shaft 36 in timed relation to the knitting action.

The shaft 45 which appears in the lower portion of Fig. 8 is the cam shaft of the knitting machine. A collar member 46 is aixed to the shaft and in such position that it engages a tiltable lever 47 which is journaled las indicated to a fixed portion of the machine bed. If the cam shaft is manually moved to the right, it will be seen that the slotted bar member 17 will be moved a corresponding distance to the left. It is this movement which is effective to move the slotted bar member outwardly of the groove in member 15 in which it is slidably mounted (see Fig. 7), and against the force of the springs 19A in order so to position the slotted bar member that `the slots 18 are ineffective and all needles therefore move together..` Stated in another way, when the cam shaft 4S is moved to the right, the slotted bar member 17 moves suliiciently outwardly of the slot in which it is mounted, due to engagement of the cam surfaces 20 and 21, that the projections 13 of all needles are then engaged by both the upper and lower bars 16` and 17 throughout each knitting cycle. This control is necessary in order that the narrowing motion of the standard knitting machine may be utilized. Y d Y v From the foregoing, it will be recognized by-those skilled in the art, that there is herein shown and described a novel and useful needle bar assembly for a conventional straight bed, full fashion machine. The utility of the m-achine will be equally apparent. l

While a preferred embodiment has been herein shown and described, applicant claims the benet of a full range of equivalents within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: v

l. In a straight bed full fashioned knitting machine, the improvement which comprises: means for supporting each of the needles for knitting movement independently of one another; means for loweringneedles from their uppermost to lowermost position Vincluding pressing each needle as it passes the press edge; means for raising va portion of the needles V from lowermost to uppermost position; and means operating in timed relation to the knitting action `for selecting on each course different needles and raising them from lowermost to uppermost position.

2. The combination as defined by claim 1, in which odd numbered needles are raised on one course and even numbered needles are raised on the succeeding course.

3. The combination defined by claim 1, and including manually operable means for causing all needles to knit at the same time.

4. In a straight bed full fashioned knitting machine, a needle bar -assembly comprising: a rear bed member including a plurality of vertically extending slots, each slot being of a sufficient cross-section to receive a knitting needle and to allow the needles to slide freely with respect to said bed member; means connecting said bed member to the in and out needle bar motion producing arm of 'the machine; a front member which cooperates with the bed member and is co-extensive therewith; means ybiasing said front and bed members into engage-ment with each other; means connecting said front member to both the in and out and up and down needle bar motion producing arm of the knitting machine; -a plurality of needles, each including an elongated shank and a protrusion extending outwardly of said shank on the side opposite the beard, one such needle being received in each of the slots in said bed member; a first horizontal bar, mounted rigidly on and co-extensive in length with said front member; and a second bar, mounted on said front member for longitudinal sliding motion with respect thereto, said second bar being located below and spaced vertically from said first bar by an amount substantially equal to the vertical height of said needle shank protrusions, said second bar being further characterized by a series of grooves in its outer edge, said grooves being of sufficient cross-section that when aligned with a given group of needles, the

6 needle shank protrusions will slide freely through said grooves.

5. The combination defined by claim 4 and including manually operable means for moving said second bar member outwardly of said front member a distance sucient to place the base of said grooves beneath the needle protrusion whereby all needles will then knit as a unit.

6. The method of knitting an interlock stitch on a at bed full fashioned machine which has been modified to provide for independent needle movement, the steps cornprising: laying down a course of yarn on the sinkers and dividers and forming sinker or divider loops around each needle; lowering all needles together in a normal knitting action to cast off stitches from the previous course; raising only selected needles, while leaving the remainder in their lowered position; laying down a further course of yarn on the sinkers and dividers and forming loops around each raised needle; lowering each raised needle in a normal knitting action; raising only those needles which remained lowered on the previous course; and repeating the above steps until a desired length of fabric is attained.

7. The method as defined -by claim 5, in which every other needle remains in its lowered position on every other course.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,086,933 Bohmer July 13, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 23,728 Germany Oct. 25,` 1883 

